


Blissful Misfortune

by MelMeikoMeiLing



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Timelines, Alternate Universe, M/M, Past Adam/Shiro (Voltron)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-03
Updated: 2019-11-03
Packaged: 2021-01-21 10:10:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21297755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MelMeikoMeiLing/pseuds/MelMeikoMeiLing
Summary: When Shiro receives a fortune for bad luck, a disaster-prone Keith stumbles into his life.
Relationships: Keith/Shiro (Voltron)
Kudos: 47





	Blissful Misfortune

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: I've wanted to write this story for years, and finally it's done!

“Blissful Misfortune”

“...It could always be worse,” Shiro lamented under his breath. In a dilapidated restaurant that matched his deteriorating mood, he sat slouched in his booth reflecting on past mistakes. His attention remained aimless for hour-feigning minutes-- glazing over the contents atop the table with an ignorance that hid all hint of the good news he had received earlier. Just a few hours ago, he gained a promotion in rank, with high possibility of another deep-space piloting opportunity as its reward. And with how passionately he fought and overcame every odd thrown against him, this lingering dolor should seem severely misplaced.

Yet...

One year ago, he pursued the mission of his dreams of freely sailing amongst the cosmos. He was gone for much longer than anticipated-- and upon his return, he was an arm lighter, discovered his condition had worsened and his boyfriend threatening to walk out on him if he continued to embark on these perilous dreams. As time went on, Shiro believed his boyfriend had eventually let bygones be bygones when Adam gifted with a handful of good luck charms—a joke to “remedy” Shiro's knack for getting himself into “trouble”. Although it bothered Shiro to think Adam wanted to drastically change him, despite being worried for him, the charms were also a representation of happier times. Because of this, Shiro refused to let them go, now – despite knowing better.

Adam wasn't coming back; that point was made pristinely clear after Shiro was not only promoted this morning, but also okayed for another new mission. Apparently, with the reality of a prosthetic not anchoring enough to fetter Shiro to Earth, Adam was all too prepared to see himself out of Shiro's life.

And just like that, in less than 3 hours since the news, Shiro had been abandoned. There was no longer any means to celebrate, or reason to ignite excitement in his heart.

So...he had gone for a walk...to gather his thoughts and reflect on his life. Somewhere inbetween, he stumbled into an old favorite restaurant of which had also seen better days and may never again.

He could relate.

There was an irony with being in a place known for supplying good fortunes while his had been immensely lacking, thus far. With his mind loitering in undesirable territories, he hadn't even noticed that he had already finished his meal. All that was left was the obligatory fortune cookie. Gradually, as memories of the morning began to shroud, Shiro's attention refocused and he glared at it.

'Stop mocking me', he groused, deflated.

Well, he had come this far-- he may has well break the cookie open and allow his misery to continue...

But, he hesitated.

Unwittingly, he patted the bag of charms looped at his belt—the ones Adam gave him-- and made a small wish for the best. He wound up stalling for roughly 3 minutes before he gingerly brought the cookie between his pointer and a thumb as if delicateness would equate with receiving a better fortune. The treat crumbled into threes, and Shiro imbued its text with tensely harnessed breath:

**“** **A strong misfortune will soon storm into your life.” **

Great. Thanks Adam.

So much for fortune cookies being uplifting and positive! Perhaps those “good luck charms” were more curse than cure.

Okay, so that wasn't fair at all, and Shiro knew that…

But if he was already having those kinds of thoughts, maybe it was high time Shiro began to let go of the past. Blaming Adam wouldn't help him detach and move on.

He deftly untied the pouch from his belt, more than ready to steer it, and the cookie remains, to the trash when the sudden eruption of a horn snagged his attention to a nearby window. Squinting through the fresh haze of rainfall, and clouded glass, he could make out the form of a sprinting man.

A biker's jacket and fitting pants suggested a person who preferred their own path against opposers. Wild, drenched, ebony clung to his gaunt visage, mimicking the tendrils of overturned ink. He appeared rather distressed.

A series of vehicles then whipped around this haphazardly male—all of the drivers shouting obscenities and expletives at the other's expense. Shiro supposed he had j-walked at a bad time, and nearly created a 4 car pile up in the process. Angry barks tugged Shiro's focus to a doberman across the street who had, evidently, being his reason for running into the street. The man shouted at his offenders as if they were the only ones at fault, while backing away. Two nearby tuxedo cats, who were once huddled together in fright from the commotion, scurried directly into the path of his steps. And of course, without him bothering to check behind him, he nearly tripped over them and stumbled off balance.

With such a relatable debacle playing out before him, Shiro found himself thickly steeped in awe. He couldn't look away—and watching this unfortunate soul dash under several construction ladders in an awful attempt to regain leverage just sealed the deal. The momentum forced the man through a patch of sidewalk cracks where a nice chunk of his shoe gutted a deep one. By some miracle, he managed to catch himself before his fingertips grazed the pavement.

A sound bright with intrigue feathered from Shiro, accompanied by a lopsided grin, “...Huh.”

Unfortunately, in every view of the word, the man's humiliation didn't end there. For his troubles, karma decided being doused by a dirtied arch of water from a speeding car was sorely needed. In fact, karma enjoyed it so much, it allowed a second car to bestow the same muddy liquid all over him as he ran. His palms shot out just in time to slap against the passing vehicle's backseat windows purely to remain on his feet.

“Ha… haha...” Slight amusement uneasily tapered from Shiro, sounding more self-depreciating than anything else. Witnessing someone as unlucky as him, share the amount of hardships he'd experienced over months within the short span of a few minutes, was far too astounding. Maybe he wasn't so alone in this world, after all.

His sarcastic guffaws must have been loud enough to reach outside—as the unfortunate man turned sharply in Shiro's direction and oh...

He was enormously gorgeous.

With a simple tilt of his head, he rid a section of sopped bangs that veiled his line of vision to show the perilous threat brewed within them. Tasteful hints of muscle teased at taut clothing as he lifted his hands and shot two beautiful fingers up at Shiro in a not so nice gesture.

Was Shiro still laughing? He felt as though he simply could not help himself.

Maybe he should apologize and explain he was more shocked than trying to make fun of the guy.

Too bad his uncertainty wound up grasping the chance right from under him. On purposed legs, the man sent caution to either sides of the street before jogging across it. One chilled glance beneath drenched ebon stunned Shiro in place. How dare this mysterious person not only share the universe's most horrid taste in luck like him, but additionally be so visually delectable.

Something dropped. It wasn't until those front doors were ripped open with purpose that Shiro realized it was his mouth that needed shutting from the way his jaw figuratively hit the floor. He was one to never believe in love at first sight—and while he was aware he felt nothing close to such a powerful emotion right now, he was absolutely staring.

Hoping...

If from a distance this stranger was gorgeous, up close he was a downright knockout. Well-worn folds of fabric hugged his smaller frame almost affectionately, clinging in all the right places that soon turned Shiro envious of the ensemble. It should be against the law to wear such tight pants with that kind of scandalous riding jacket. Now that the thought crossed his mind, had this man ever owned a motorcycle or hoverbike? What happened to it? A tiny apathetic smirk drew along Shiro's features; its taste was bitter, but perhaps a bit of glossed lips would draw less hostile attention to himself.

Much to his dismay, however, he was entirely ignored.

The clink of those silver studded boots bustled right past him, and approached the restaurant’s counter, instead. Honestly, Shiro was half expecting the man to trip over his own feet. Then they really would be kindred spirits.

“Hey.”

Shiro blinked-- instantly regretted never knowing how gravel could sound so alluring. The cashier wasn't thrown off by the edgy rasp in the slightest, and dutifully addressed his customer, “Yes? What would you like to order?”

“I promise I'll buy some food later-- just let me wash off in your bathroom first,” came the request, a flurry of words strung together.

“Sure thing!”

“Thanks...”

Neither glance or glare was left in Shiro's direction; the enigmatic man simply made a beeline for the restrooms.

Against Shiro's better judgment, and before he was aware of what he was doing, he was out of his seat with his wallet open and slipped the cashier a 20.

“Whatever he gets, use this to pay for it.”

The clerk lifted a dubious brow.

“And keep the change.”

That seemed a lot better, as Shiro then received a series of enthusiastic nods.

“Thanks! Gonna ask him out, huh?”

Unprepared for the inquiry, Shiro scrunched his nose. He never would have expected to get that far—hopeful speculation was far too lofty a miracle with the kind of life he's had, so far. Nonetheless, he answered candidly.

“I'd at least like to get to know him, first. A name would be nice.”

“Right,” the clerk offered a wispy expression of sympathy, “I've seen this guy around, here and there. And from what I've seen, some of his mishaps are almost as bad as yours! The two of you ought to understand each other pretty well!”

Uncertain how to take that, Shiro cautioned on the side of practiced pleasantry and offered a thin smile, “Thanks for the encouragement.”

He then returned to his booth.

Before long, the telltale creak of a door in the distance skittered into the room. Immediately, as if the sound gave command to do so, Shiro straightened his back and peered expectantly in the direction the disgruntled man was sure to exit from. By the time the stranger reentered the diner, the frown that tugged at his lips suggested he was being outright gawked at. An unharnessed glower was Shiro's reward.

Thankfully for him, the forlorn man swiftly tore aware from Shiro's visage with a roll of indigo and a blur of unruly locks. He lifted his chin to the cashier, “A Number 1 with soy sauce and no egg rolls, please...” he then paused, lowering the next request to a crackled hush, “...and some sugar donuts—with extra dip.”

_'That is so cute,'_ Shiro's heart crooned.

“How much is that? About $14.50?” The man asked, beginning to reach into a back pocket for his wallet.

“Actually, it's on the house!”

The dark-clad man faltered; his hand paused. Shiro could practically feel the confused squint being presented to the clerk—who openly laughed at the confusion.

“Your meal's free, today. That big guy over there already paid for it.”

“...What…?” Fists clenched, and brow knitted, the man then grew swiftly silent.

Beside himself for some reason, Shiro grinned like a fool and lit up like a neon sign when a hardened glare pinned him to his seat.

“You...” The stranger began, voice already tensed with quaver, “What is your problem!?”

Shiro blinked, but the goofy smirk hadn't yet left him. He was more than prepared for the attitude; what he didn't expect was the crisp timbre that seasoned it. Like weathered floorboards tinted by the warm hue of a crackling hearth, that bristling voice somehow soothed him. He couldn't even fully decipher he was being scolded at the moment. All he was aware of, really, was that this gorgeous rebel was finally speaking to him. He had such a pretty furrowed brow... Wait, was he upset with him? What was he saying?

“Huh?” Was all Shiro could feebly muster against confrontation.

“First you laugh at me, and now you're buying me food? I didn't come in here looking for your money, or your pity!”

It took Shiro a good few seconds to process he was _indeed_ being scolded by this man.

Apparently. This thunderstruck situation never happened before with anyone else...he had never found himself so speechless before. This man was a complete stranger, and neither of them owed the other a thing, but, he couldn't pull away. He was drawn to this walking disaster of whom he didn't know from a hole in the ground that just happened to storm into Shiro's life. Of course, it didn't hurt that he was just so…

“...Beautiful...”

The man winced, and recoiled in hefty disbelief. The rasp in his tone lowered to a croak, “...Wh...what? What did you say…!?”

“You're beautiful,” Shiro murmured in stupor. His foolishness didn't stop there, “What's your name?”

“None of your business! Keep the food you paid for and stay away from me! I don't need anymore problems today, and you're getting added to the top of the list.”

“With all due respect, I think everything that happened to you out there was far worse,” Shiro admitted, which was blatantly a very wrong thing to say.

“...Think my misery is funny...?” he snarled, his posture shifting to one ready to fight if need be.

Strangely, it didn't deter Shiro from speaking his mind, “I do, actually. It's as awful as mine.”

“Don't act like you know me!”

“You're right. I don't. But… if you'd let me, I'd like to?”

The man huffed in discouragement, but for some inane reason, Shiro was feeling rather brave right now—he had already lost so much, today so why not take a chance with a possibility who was worth it?

“So...uh...I'm Shiro. And you are?”

“Bad news, for you. Thanks, but no thanks. Like I said, I don't need your pity! I don't need some sugar daddy, either!”

Shiro almost choked on his own spit at the mention. That was a title he would never synonymize with himself and blanched fully in do-not-want.

“No… No! ...nono, not like that! That wasn't what I was…! I just—! Listen, I'm really bad at this! You're a really attractive guy whose luck seemed as bad as mine. I thought we'd have some sort of connection...something in common to talk about. I'll admit, that was forward of me to just hope...”

_...to be friends with someone who understood…_

_...to be welcomed into someone's life who could accept me as I am…_

…_.to hear your story... _

“...But, hey, it's okay if you don't want to talk or anything. I just...went about this all wrong. I'm sorry.”

With a stiff nod, moreso to ground himself, Shiro scooted out of the booth and pushed to a stand. He tried not to notice the obvious quick sweep over his form from the man; it heavied his heart to remind himself it meant nothing.

Nothing is what he had before coming here, and that's what he'd leave with. He was going to move on with his life, full speed ahead. And the first thing to start with would be to get rid of that useless pouch of charms.

At least—the idea was better thought of than executed—since after the first step Shiro took, he somehow tripped over an extension of the table's legs then hopped, swerved, and wobbled on one foot before slamming onto the floor back-first.

...Because of COURSE that would happen.

Thanks, Adam!

Welp, that was the story of his life, so far. One big mishap after another, so it'd only be fitting to fall over right in front of someone he wanted to get to know. Made perfect sense.

With a dejected groan, he started to pull himself away from the floor when the glimpse of an outstretched hand caught his attention.

Shiro froze. Without thinking, he probably uttered the wrong thing again, “You're helping me? Now who's taking pity on who?”

“You're not funny,” the man snorted, “You gonna take my hand, or what?”

“O-oh! Sure. Thanks,” Shiro stammered, and allowed himself to be helped up. Back on his feet, the two were able to properly observe the other. And within gradual seconds, their silence transitioned comfortably into a pattering of faint chuckles.

“Keith,” the man offered—to which a confused Shiro misunderstood.

“Huh?”

“My name? That thing you wanted to know?”

“You mean your name isn't 'Bad News'?”

“Hahaha... You're still not funny...” Keith jeered.

“And that's why you're smirking now, right?”

“Shut up,” Keith countered, but the retort lacked all bite, “Tripping is what you deserve after laughing at me.”

  
“Okay, I'll take that one. But, I wasn't laughing AT you, out there. I just… got it.”

“You mean with how _great_ my luck is, right?” Keith emphasized with immense sarcasm.

Shiro nodded.

“You know, I could leave out that door right now and you'd never see me again.”

Shiro considered the warning, then shrugged, “Sure...if you wanted to. But before you do that, could we at least have lunch first? Swap unfortunate stories? You could laugh at me, instead.”

Shiro wasn't at all trying to be smooth, but it may have gotten mislabeled as such from the narrowed stare Keith was giving him.

“...Yeah. Sure. But I'm paying for my own food.”

“Okay. Great. Thank you,” Shiro beamed, placing his palms together. In appreciation While Keith picked out a seat, at a table that _wasn't_ as trip-friendly, Shiro went up to the counter and bought a soda for himself. Since Shiro felt entirely responsible for the commotion in the restaurant, Shiro requested the clerk keep the money he had shelled out for Keith's meal despite nothing being done with it. On his way back to his and Keith's table, Shiro felt lighter. With Adam's charms--and their past-- now in the trash, Shiro was grateful for a little blissful misfortune.

**Author's Note:**

> Drop me a message on Twitter at @melmeiko !!


End file.
